PART III

Thought that I would be alone forever

But I won't be tonight

I'm a man without a home, but I think

With you, I could spend my life

"How are you feeling?" Bruce asked, sitting down next to her.

Nathalie was seated on the couch in the reception room, watching the fire burn. In her hand was a cup of tea, brought to her by Alfred. She hadn't taken one sip out of it, but she welcomed the warmth of it in her hands. It had been so cold at the docks.

"I feel nothing," she spoke, looking at him. Bruce cocked his head slightly to the right.

Nathalie had broken the one rule he had. She had killed someone. Never had she ever imagined she was able to kill. Before today she hadn't even held a gun, let alone fired it. The world had faded when she had shot the mobster, but when she woke up it was as if it had never even happened. She felt no remorse, no guilty, nothing.

"What do you mean?" he asked, placing his hand on her ankle. She shivered upon feeling his touch.

"It's like I didn't even kill him."

Bruce nodded, but Nathalie doubted he understood what she was talking about.

"Will I go to prison?" she wondered. She did kill man after all, and people were definitely going to look for Remini.

"No," Bruce shook his head. "I've made sure nothing can lead towards you."

"Thank you," Nathalie said, a faint smile covering her face.

The following morning she still felt nothing. Looking at the situation, she had slept surprisingly well. Bruce had been away the whole night, but for some reason Nathalie did not really care where he was.

Alfred had brought her breakfast, but she didn't have an appetite, nevertheless thanking him for making it for her. Before he was able to turn away from her, she raised her voice,"Am I a monster, Alfred?"

He turned around to face her, leaning slightly forward. "If you can justify why you did it, no, not at all."

She didn't feel like a monster, yet she didn't feel good as well. From the bottom of her heart she knew what she had done was wrong, but he had provoked her. He practically asked for it.

Nathalie decided to take a walk through the woodland that surrounded the mansion, figuring she might find her guilt there, but it proved to be a dead end. She had walked around the forest for at least an hour, not sure where she was heading, when she heard a twig crack behind her.

She shot around, her heartbeat creeping up. The sound definitely came from behind her, but she couldn't see anything. Probably just an animal, she told herself, continuing her path, but something stopped her from continuing.

"What are you doing?" Bruce said.

Nathalie placed her hand on his chest, still amazed at how he could move around so quietly. "I have no idea," she replied honestly.

She was lost, literally and figuratively. The forest was unknown territory for her, and if Bruce hadn't found her she doubted she would've found the manor all by herself. As for her state of mind, she didn't know how she felt. Nathalie desperately wanted to feel guilty about murdering someone, but how hard she tried, she could just not find the emotions inside of her. It was as if they had been wiped away to moment the bullet entered Ramini's head.

"Come on, let's get back," Bruce said, placing his hand on the small of her back.

Nathalie placed her head on his chest. "I don't want to go back." She couldn't go back, not until she had found what she had been looking for. Deep down there had to be a part of her which felt bad about the situation, and she had to bring it to the surface.

Bruce looked at her, his eyebrows raised. "What's wrong?" he then continued to ask.

"Is it bad that I don't feel guilty?" Nathalie replied. "I mean, I broke the one rule you had. The one rule which made sure the Batman wouldn't turn into a heartless monster."

Bruce cupped her face with his hands. "You're not a bad person, Nathalie. I think you're just still in shock."

"I hope so," Nathalie nodded. She recalled the way Ramini talked about her parents, saying they wouldn't be proud of her, and he was right. She was just as wrong as her parents killers were, but for some strange reason she couldn't come to grips with, she just didn't care.

"Come on," Bruce tried once gain, pushing her slightly in the direction of the manor.

Nathalie nodded, figuring she couldn't stay out here in the forest forever. Besides, it was getting cold and she hadn't bothered to bring a jacket, leaving her body frozen.

"How did you find me anyway?" she asked.

"You left tracks behind," Bruce said, pointing at a pair of fresh footprints in the leaves.

Nathalie seemed to have lost the will to do anything. She spend most of her time sitting in the kitchen, watching the sun rising over the woodland. Both Alfred and Bruce had tried to get her to do something, but so far she just felt like watching the world pass by.

It had come to the point where she could hardly even remember Ramini's face. The only thing she could remember was the sound coming from the gun, nothing more.

She was watching the sun disappear behind the trees when she felt Bruce's hand on her shoulder, softly squeezing it. "Come to dinner with me," he spoke.

Nathalie shook her head. "I'm not really hungry," she replied.

"It wasn't a question," Bruce continued.

Nathalie turned around, wanting to argue, but the dress Bruce was carrying caught her eye. It was unlike anything she had ever seen. It was midnight blue, made out of satin and tulle, it looked expensive. "Should I wear that?" she asked.

"If you want," he nodded. "I had it made especially for you."

Nathalie raised from the chair and took the dress in her hands. "Okay," she nodded. "I'll come." Bruce had a point. She had to go out sometimes, who knew and maybe she did even have a good time. If she couldn't find remorse about her actions, she had to move on from it. The only way was to get past this, was to forget it even happened. Bruce had made sure the murder wouldn't come back to haunt her, and since her feelings had left her in the dark as well, it was time to go back to normal.

"I'll wait for you in the foyer."

She had already prepared herself for the photographers, remembering this was the first public appearance with Bruce. After today, she would find herself in all the tabloids, a place she would never have guessed to find a picture of herself. To be sure she had turned off her phone, avoiding calls from her bosses who were wondering where she was. She would deal with them when she was ready for it, first she had to survive this dinner.

Bruce put his hand on the small of her back as he led her to the entrance, protecting her from the photographers who blocked them in. They immediately got seated, as not one restaurant would be dumb enough to turn away someone like Bruce Wayne.

Nathalie looked around the place and it looked very exclusive. It was richly decorated and people in cocktail dresses and tuxedos were seated on all the tables.

"I know you don't like these kind of people, but just trust me," Bruce whispered as they made their way over the one of the best tables the restaurant had.

They handed her the menu and after quickly scanning over it she realized she had no idea what all of the dishes were. "What are you taking?" she asked Bruce, hoping he knew what all the French words meant.

"I'll take the steak," he smiled.

"Which one's that?" Nathalie said, seeing as she still couldn't locate the 'steak' on the menu.

"Second one from the top," Bruce said, leaning forward over the table to point it to her.

"I'll take that as well," she said.

Bruce ordered for them and it wasn't long before dinner was served.

"So which one do you think is a gold digger?" Bruce said, after taking a bite.

Nathalie looked around the room, instantly recognizing some of them as gold diggers. They were easy to spot. "How did you know I always played that game?" she wondered.

"I played it as well."

That made Nathalie smile. "Really?" she replied, realizing she was actually starting to have fun.

"Oh yeah," Bruce nodded. "I reckon that one in the red dress is one." He nodded towards a woman behind her.

Casually, Nathalie turned her torso to see, nodding in agreement. "Definitely," she said. "She is one as well." She nodded towards a lady seated to their right.

"It's nice to see you smile again," he stated.

"It's nice to be smiling again," Nathalie admitted.

They ate their dinner, sharing laughs together, causing some of the other dinner guests to turn around to see what the fuss was about, but when they saw Bruce Wayne they quickly turned around again. Before Nathalie had a chance to order dessert, Bruce had a proposal for her, "Let's dance," he said, seeing as multiple couples had already gathered on the dance floor.

"I can't dance," Nathalie blushed.

"Luckily for you, I'm an excellent dancer, so it won't be a problem," Bruce gave her a wink, standing up.

Nathalie sighed, smiling slightly, knowing arguing with him was pointless. She followed his lead, taking his hand and following him to the middle of the restaurant. The waiters had cleared tables to create a temporary dance floor.

Bruce placed his hand on her waist, grabbing her hand with his other and before she knew it they were shuffling to the rhythm of the music. Nathalie had to admit, he was an excellent dancer. They swirled around the dance floor effortlessly, attracting stares from curious social climbers. She decided to ignore them, only focusing on Bruce.

The music changed into a slower rhythm. Nathalie responded by pressing her body closer to his, placing her head on his shoulder. "Feeling better?" he whispered.

"Yes," Nathalie replied with a smile. This had been a great idea. It almost felt like a normal evening out on the town. "I just wish I could find what I'm looking for." She was referring to her lack of guilt, her lack of remorse. Something was missing and she just needed to find it.

After a pause Bruce replied, "I think I might know what you are looking for."

He had found an empty bedroom in the manor that could serve perfectly as their practice space. Bruce had told her about his time with the League of Shadows, how it helped him find what he was looking for.

"You want me to become a ninja?" Nathalie asked amazed. She always thought ninja's only appeared in Asian film, but apparently they appeared in real life as well.

"I only want to train you as one," Bruce replied.

They started with basic fighting skills, which she picked up surprisingly easy. Bruce taught her how to disarm him, and put him on the ground. After the third time she could do it successfully. First, she worked her way around him so he had to give up his gun (represented by a book) and with a few twists and turns she had him on the ground in her arms, with no way to move.

"Good," Bruce nodded. Nathalie let him go, standing back trying to catch her breath. "You're a natural."

"I am a natural ninja, awesome," she laughed.

Bruce laughed as well and continued to explain the fundamental principles of Ninjutsu, one of the many martial art styles he mastered. They were so busy training they didn't even hear Alfred opening the door, only noticing him when he said: "Oh, I'll leave you two alone again," leaving two glasses of orange juice behind.

"But what if I don't know what I'm looking for?" Nathalie suddenly asked, after deciding they had been training hard enough for one day. She was scared all of this had been for nothing, and she had to live with not knowing what she was looking for the rest of her life.

"Maybe you're not looking for anything," Bruce replied.

"Alfred, are there any cars I can borrow?" Nathalie asked, swinging her bag over her shoulder. It would take quite a while for a cab to get all the way out here and she didn't want to be gone for too long.

"Of course, pick one you like," Alfred replied with a smile, looking up from his newspaper.

"Really?" Nathalie asked to be safe. The cars Bruce owned were all very expensive.

Alfred nodded, adding, "Master Wayne won't even notice one of them is gone." He gave her a wink.

"Thank you," she smiled gratefully, disappearing in the doorway. She hurried to the garage, hoping Bruce didn't notice she was gone, as she was sure he would not agree with what she was about to do. She looked at the collection of cars in front of her, not sure which one she would choose. The Lamborghini was Bruce's favorite, and the Rolls Royce was Alfred's, so she decided on a Porsche which was tucked away all in the back, covered by a light layer of dust. She went back inside, telling Alfred the car she had picked so he could give her the keys. "That's a very good choice, Miss," he added.

It took a few miles for her to get used to the agility and speed of the car. Luckily the traffic wasn't bad that day and it only took her half an hour to get to downtown Gotham. She glanced up to Wayne Tower, wondering what Bruce actually had to do with his business, figuring he didn't run it himself.

She parked the car on the street. It was accompanied by other expensive sports cars, so she wasn't worried about it getting stolen. The photographers on the street were fairly disappointed seeing her leaving the car, and not someone fancy like Bruce Wayne. Nathalie was glad for it, as she still wasn't used to all the attention and she doubted she would ever get used to it.

She checked her phone once more, making sure she had the right place. 'Smith Gun Shop' the sign read, which was exactly the place she was looking for.

The doorbell rang when she entered, catching the attention of the man behind the counter. Clutching her bag tightly, she shuffled forward, letting her eyes scan all the guns around her. The shop stocked guns she doubted were even legal to own. She was only looking for a small hand gun, something to help her protect herself.

"Can I help you ,darling?" the man asked her, placing his hands on the counter.

"I'm interested in buying a gun," Nathalie replied. "A small one." She nodded towards the rifles hanging on the wall, indicating she didn't want one of those.

"You have experience with them? Ever shot one?"

Nathalie had to contain a laugh, oh if only you knew. "Yes, I have," she replied.

The seller nodded. "I think I have something perfect for you." He disappeared in the back, coming back with a shiny black box. He carefully placed it on the counter, lifting the top to reveal a matt-black handgun, just big enough for her. He placed it in her hand, letting her feel it in her hand.

"Feels good," she nodded.

"It's a Glock G30S, 45 cal," he explained. "You won't find any better, even the cops use this one."

"And it's completely legal?" Nathalie said, she didn't want to carry an illegal gun, not for a while at least. She wanted to use this one to scare people, not kill them.

"Sure is, just fill in these forms," he said, pulling sheets of paper from under his desk.

Nathalie filled in everything neatly before paying for the gun with her creditcard. Normally she didn't splurge on something so expensive, but her situation had changed completely, she needed a gun.

She didn't return to the mansion at first, wanting to drop by her apartment first, just to check out the situation. Technically the mob threat was over, and she could return but she enjoyed staying with Bruce and Alfred so much she didn't want to go back. She didn't want to be alone, not again.

The place looked just the same as before, nothing had changed except the season was starting to change, causing leaves to fall on the ground. Her mailbox was stuffed with letters she didn't want to look at just yet. Nathalie pushed them in her purse next to her brand new gun before fishing her keys out of it.

Her apartment was left untouched, dust covering everything. Deciding she won't return here anytime soon she stuffed more clothing and essentials in a weekend bag. She also took her photo albums she had completely forgotten about, neatly placing them on top so they wouldn't get damaged. Inside were the only photos of her parents she had.

She found Mrs. Adams in the park near her apartment, sitting on the same bench as ever. Softly Nathalie approached her, waving slightly to catch her attention.

"Well, I haven't seen you in a long time!" Mrs. Adams patted next to her, a smile on her face.

Nathalie sat down, placing her weekend bag next to her and her purse between her legs, protecting the gun. "I've been busy," she replied.

"Busy with a man?" Mrs. Adams asked hopeful. Nathalie laughed at her comment, noticing she had not changed at all.

"As the matter of fact, yes."

Mrs. Adams clapped delightfully. "The man you talked to me about? Did you find him?"

"I did," Nathalie nodded, happily, realizing how happy Bruce made her. She was so glad she pursued after him. "How is everything here?"

"As good as it gets," Mrs. Adams responded honestly. "The occasional break-ins, just regular stuff."

Nathalie spotted a group of guys at the opposite end of the park. There were about three of them, sitting on a bench, having a smoke. She had never seen them before, and she pretty much knew everyone in her neighborhood. "Who are they?" Nathalie nodded towards the group.

Mrs. Adams turned to see who Nathalie referred to. "Oh, them? They're trouble. They moved here last week and have caused nothing but trouble since, even smashing my flowers!"

"Really?" Nathalie said, interested, a plan developing in her mind. "I'll have a talk with them."

"By yourself?!" Mrs. Adams exclaimed. "Don't bother, they'll eat you alive."

"Nope," Nathalie mumbled more to herself than to Mrs. Adams, "not anymore."

She was seated in the Porsche, staring at the gun, pushing in a clip of ammunition. Nathalie took in a deep breath. She could do it, she had done it before after all.

Trying to stop her fists from trembling, she got out and headed over to the opposite end of the park. Mrs. Adams had disappeared. Nathalie figured she didn't want to see Nathalie get hurt, but that wouldn't happen.

"Enjoying your day off?" Nathalie greeted the group. They looked up from their conversation, annoyed, probably wondering why someone like her dared to talk to them.

"Get lost," the thug spoke, taking a drag from his cigarette.

"Why don't you get lost and leave my neighborhood alone?" Nathalie replied fiercely.

The group chuckled, standing up. Nathalie noticed they were taller than she was, but that wouldn't stop her. She didn't have Batman to back her up, seeing it was in the middle of the day. Besides, Bruce didn't even know where she was so it was just her against the three of them.

"You heard me," she said, standing her ground.

"You have guts, I'll give you that" the thugs spoke. "But you are very stupid to threaten us."

"And that's where you are wrong," Nathalie got closer to one of them. "You are stupid to threaten me."

None of them did anything, but Nathalie was ready for whatever they were about to throw at her. "What? Just going to let someone threaten you? Even I expected more from you guys."

"I'm not going to fight a girl," one of them spoke, another nodding in agreement.

"Afraid I might beat you?" Nathalie remarked. If they only knew she had training and was able to put them down within seconds.

She saw them hesitating but it wasn't long before one of them launched himself forward. His fist tried to collide with her face but she stopped it easily, sliding the arm on his back. He cried out in pain, his friends looking on helplessly. Nathalie pushed him forward, kicking him down with her heel. She turned around, looking at his friends, wondering which one was taking her on next.

But this time the two of them launched forward. Bruce hadn't taught her how to fight two at the same time, but she remembered everything he did teach her and applied it in the same way. Even now they were no match for her. One came from the front, trying to bring her down. She responded by first punching the guy behind her in the face with her elbow before swiftly darting around her other foe, confusing him, before letting him fall to the ground.

"She broke my nose!" one exclaimed, crying out in pain, blood gushing from his nose.

Nathalie grinned upon the sight of them laying on the ground. This had been more fun than she had imagined. As she was about to turn away, she realized she wasn't done yet. Hurrying over to her bag, she grabbed the gun pointed it at the men, ignoring all the people in the back of the park who were staring at them, wondering what the fuss was all about.

"If you ever cause trouble in this neighborhood, if you ever cross my path," she began, her gun raised high, "I will hunt you down."

"You've been gone a long time," Alfred commented.

"Don't worry, the car is still in one piece," Nathalie smiled, closing the huge manor door behind her, hiding her purse behind her.

"I would never doubt you," Alfred replied jokingly.

"Where's Bruce?" she asked, moving towards the library as he was probably in the cave, throwing her coat over her bag on the couch, concealing it.

"Where you think he is."

The iron elevator brought her down to the cave. She still wasn't used to the coldness down here and she regretted leaving her coat behind.

"How did you like the Porsche?" Bruce asked. He was seated behind the computers, researching god knows what.

"I liked it. It was fast," Nathalie nodded. She gave him a kiss, smiling slightly after they broke contact.

"How have you been spending your day?"

Nathalie glanced over the computer screens, but she recognized none of the people on it. "Oh, just doing stuff… things."

Bruce raised his eyebrows, "Things?"

Nathalie nodded, not sure what to say as she wasn't going to be honest with him. If he knew she had been getting into fights she would never be allowed out of the house again.

Bruce leaned closer to give her another kiss, only to stop in his tracks just before her. His finger trade something on her shirt, Nathalie looked down to see what. "Is this your blood?" he asked.

Nathalie gasped quietly, as she hadn't noticed the stain at all. It must be the blood of the guy she had elbowed in the face, seeing it wasn't from herself. "Yes," she lied. "I bumped into the cabinet, got a bloody nose." She smiled nervously.

Bruce raised his eyebrows, wanting to saying something, but before he could Nathalie opened her mouth, "Let's go training!"

Fighting those criminals had awoken something in her. She wanted to do it again. The skills she had learned from Bruce made her feel empowered, it was as if she could take on anyone.

Nathalie had made peace with the monster in her, she ignored the voices in her head. Bruce had been right, she had found what she was looking for: empowerment.

Once again she found herself roaming the streets of the Narrows, looking for trouble. Bruce had business with Lucius Fox at Wayne Enterprises, which gave her the whole day to do what she wanted. Alfred had ordered them to be back before dinner, which gave her plenty of time.

Her heels clicked on the concrete as she made her way down the block. She was dressed in all black, making her feel like Batman, seeing he was always clad in black. It wasn't long before she had found a couple of kids trying to buy drugs of a man in an alley, this was the Narrows after all.

"Shouldn't you be in school?" she remarked with a smirk on her face as she approached the boys. Nathalie had her gun tucked in the back of her pants, her top hanging over it to conceal it.

"Shouldn't you be in the kitchen?" the boy replied, thinking he was being clever. His friends and even the dealer started laughing.

Nathalie chuckled with them, "Very funny," she replied, taking a step forward. Their comment made the fire in her rise, convenient for Nathalie, not so convenient for them.

"I suggest you all go away now, and never return."

The boys looked at her, their heads cocked slightly, not sure if her threat was serious, but Nathalie was dead serious. "Do I need to repeat myself?" She pulled the gun from her pants, aiming it at them.

"Okay, okay!" the boy said. "We're going."

"No, wait," Nathalie ordered, pushing them back. "First apologize."

"Apologize?" another boy asked.

"Yes," she said annoyed. "To me, for your comment. It was not appreciated."

The boys frowned, but her gun intimidated them. "I'm sorry for what I said," the boy said, his eyes fixed to the ground.

"I'm sorry for what I said, ma'am," Nathalie said.

"I'm sorry for what I said, ma'am," the boy repeated.

"Good," Nat nodded. "Now, if I ever find you here trying to buy weed again I'll will find you, you understand?"

The boys nodded.

"Now run along," she motioned with her gun for them to leave. They quickly fled the scene.

"And what should I do with you?" she said, wondering how she was going to intimidate the dealer.

"I swear to god, I didn't know they were underage," the dealer tried to explain.

But Nathalie was having none of it.

She checked herself in the mirror from top to bottom, looking for spots of blood that might reveal her new past time activity. Nathalie couldn't see any stains, but to be sure she changed her outfit anyway. Sooner or later Bruce was going to find out about her double life, but just not today.

"Smells amazing, Alfred!" Nathalie said cheerfully while walking in the dining room, the smell of pot roast greeting her. "Where's Bruce?"

"He should've been here by now," Alfred noted, looking at his watch. He placed the roast in the middle of the table.

"I'll go look for him," Nat nodded, jumping up, making her way over to the cave. Slowly the elevator took her down. She made a mental note to tell Bruce to improve the speed of the damn things, as it was driving her insane.

"Bruce?" she called out.

At first she thought the cave was empty, but then she saw him. Bruce was sitting on the floor, still wearing his armor except for his cowl and by the looks of it, he was in pain. "Oh my god," Nat gasped, quickly moving towards him. "What happened?"

"Dogs," Bruce replied, extending his arm so she could look. He had been bitten twice, and the bites had gone pretty deep.

"Dogs?" she chuckled, knowing she shouldn't laugh. The mighty Batman was taken down by a dog. "You need to see a doctor."

"No doctors," Bruce ordered. "I'll stitch it up myself."

"No," Nat spoke. "Let me do it."

She carefully took of his armor, placing it back neatly so she wouldn't damage anything. Upon seeing the cut more clearly, she realized how deep it was and started to wonder if she could stitch it up. Nathalie had no experience with medical procedures, except for the first-aid course she took when she was in high school, but she took in a deep breath and did it anyway. Sometimes you have to get out of your comfort zone.

Bruce pointed where she could find the needles and thread. She was surprised to see they were all equipment from a hospital, still sterile. "Do you need anything for the pain?" Nathalie asked, opening a package of needles.

Bruce shook his head. "Just get it over with."

Nathalie wanted to argue but she figured he had been stitched up before. She leaned down in front of him, resting her own arm in his so she could steady it. Up close the wound looked disgusting, but she just shook it off, trying to focus on her stitching and not on the blood. Bruce didn't even flinch once as she stitched him up. "Am I doing it okay?" she asked just to be sure after doing to first part.

"You're doing fine," Bruce said surprisingly calmly. A smile formed on her face, glad she was doing it okay. All those years watching Gray's Anatomy weren't for nothing then.

"What happened out there?" Nathalie asked, cutting off the excess thread. She was actually pretty proud of her work, it didn't look half bad but it would definitely add another scar to his collection. Things were getting worse in Gotham and she had to do something about it.

"A new threat," Bruce said, examining her work, nodding slightly.

Nathalie looked him in the eyes, softly breathing. "What threat?"

"I'm not sure yet. All I know it's bad."

Nathalie sighed. The last threat was still fresh in her mind and she still remembered vividly how that had ended. Although she knew Bruce would fear she would kill again, she wanted to help him, she had to. She had learned so much from him, and she had proved herself multiple times on the street. If Batman could fight crime, so could she.

"I want to help," she stated.

Bruce hesitated before replying: "Are you sure? After what happened the last time…?"

Nathalie nodded. "I'm sure. Just tell me the plan. I'll do anything you want me to do."

This villain was unlike the one they had dealt with before. Instead of being a mobster, this guy worked for the mob, making him equally dangerous. Bruce had shown her the villains profile, recognizing him as Dr. Crane, a head psychiatrist of Arkham Asylum. Nathalie studied his photo which sent shivers down her spine. This guy looked truly menacing and she didn't doubt he was capable of many things.

The first time Bruce had fought him off all by himself, but it proved to be quite difficult with an army of Rottweilers and men with heavy arms to defend him. Luckily, he could escape the toxin Crane used.

"What is that stuff?" Nathalie asked, wondering how strong the toxin could be. How much harm could a hallucinating drug do?

"It's strong," Bruce said. "I have encountered it before, during my time with the League of Shadows, but this stuff is much more powerful. Everything you see is distorted, making everything look scarier than it really is."

"So not the kind of stuff you could take if you want to have a good time?" Nat joked.

Bruce turned his head to her, cocking his eyebrow. "Unless that's your thing…"

"I think I'll stick with the pot," she smirked.

"Just kidding," she added upon seeing Bruce's reaction.

"We have to create an armor for you, though," Bruce continued, now seriously. "I'm not letting you go out there unprotected."

Nathalie nodded, she could definitely use all the protection she could get. There was no way she could stop a Rottweiler.

"And also a disguise."

"A what?" Nathalie asked, raising her eyebrows. She had fought criminals a few times no without hiding who she was, and it seemed to work fine. Nat had no problem with being the face of justice, but apparently Bruce had.

"A disguise, like Batman."

"No way. I'm not going to walk around as a Batgirl. I don't want to hide who I am."

"You have to protect the people around you, Nat."

"You can protect yourself," she said. "Apart from you I don't really have anyone else."

She didn't realize how pathetic that sounded until she had actually spoken the words. The truth was, she truly didn't have anyone besides Bruce. Her parents had been taken from her when she was young and she no longer had contact with all of her foster parents. Besides, none of them were within Crane's reach. She was all alone, with Bruce by her side.

"Look," she started, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Batman is a symbol, he's someone Gotham needs. Gotham doesn't need me, I don't need a mask, no one will replace me when I'm gone. Let me just help Batman this one time, and after that I'm done."

Bruce had talked to Lucius Fox and was able to obtain armor for her. He explained to her that it was designed for the military and was able to stop anything. Nathalie ran her fingers over the smooth exterior of it. It was black, just like Batman's armor and looked quite similar in some ways. It was clearly designed for a man, but as long as it fitted her that wouldn't be a problem.

Once she had tried it on she felt empowered already. The armor made her feel even stronger than she was already feeling. With this on and her continually expanding skill-set, she felt unstoppable.

"How does it feel?" Bruce asked when Nat stepped out into the light.

"Pretty damn good," she commented, still checking out her outfit.

"You think you are ready to take him on?"

"Oh yes," Nathalie nodded. "I'm ready."

Bruce drove the Tumbler straight through the heart of the city, letting all the criminals in town know that Batman was on the loose this night. The night was dark and gloomy, with only the streetlights casting out dim light on the streets. The vehicle roared one more time before they came to a halt in front of Arkham Asylum.

Nathalie never visted the Asylum before, and she never hoped she had to, yet the building intrigued her. She wanted to know who was hiding in there and what Crane was doing with the toxin. Nat doubted he worked on his own and this was all a part of a much bigger plan.

Before they drove over Nathalie had quickly taken her gun with her, concealing it in a belt that was supposed to have explosives in it. Even though she knew guns were against Bruce's rules, it didn't feel right to leave without it.

"Let's go in," Bruce said, opening up the top of the vehicle.

Nathalie climbed out easily. She had grown more accustomed to the thing. The streets were quiet. She looked around but she only spotted a homeless man who was occupied with rummaging through some trashcans. He would pose no threat.

She followed Bruce inside the building. Because it was late at night most of the employees had left, leaving only two guards at the entrance.

"What the…" one of them said upon seeing the Batman. Nathalie emerged from behind Bruce and took out the other one with ease.

They continued walking down the hallway. Bruce held a device that showed everyone who was in the building. Most of the cells seemed to contain only one or two patients, but the basement was crawling with activity.

Neither of them spoke a word as they took the stairs to the lower levels. After walking around for quite some time, Nathalie made a mental note never to come back here again, as the eerie atmosphere sent shivers down her spine. However with her gun and Bruce besides her, she felt safe.

They stopped in front of a door that led to the room with the activity. Bruce softly counted down from three and on one he kicked the massive door open. Without thinking, Nathalie took the gun out of her belt and held it in front of her.

"Party's over, Crane," Bruce ordered in his growling Batman voice.

The men in the room were shocked to say the least. Nathalie figured a run in with the Batman wasn't on their schedule for the evening.

Crane appeared from the side. "I wondered when you would come again," he began. "You like my little operation?" He extended his arms, as if he was giving them a tour of the room.

Nathalie looked around, gasping at the sight. Men were pouring in of what looked like the toxin Bruce was telling her about in the sewers. Was Crane a terrorist?

"I think you and I haven't met before," Crane turned towards Nathalie. She didn't put her gun down. "Let me introduce yourself. I'm Dr. Jonathan Crane, would you like to try some of my medicine? I seem to remember your friend the Batman liked it quite a bit."

"Back off," Nathalie snapped, aiming her gun at his chest.

"And I thoughts guns were not your thing," Crane turned to Bruce again.

"Put the gun away," he growled towards Nathalie. "Where did you get that?"

"The store," Nathalie replied. She had already prepared herself for this argument, she knew Bruce was never going to agree with her tactics but she wasn't as well trained as he was, this was her way of making up for that.

"Put that down," Bruce ordered.

"Let's not do this right now, okay?" Nathalie breathed before launching forward, punching Crane in the face with the end of the gun.

Bruce responded by fighting off the approaching thugs, disabling them easily. Nathalie kept watch on Crane, making sure he wouldn't escape.

"How long have you and the Batman been working together?" Crane asked, still laying on the ground.

Nathalie didn't look away but kept her eyes locked on his, instead of replying she chose to ignore everything he said, afraid she might lose it like she had done before.

"What are you doing here, Crane?" Bruce growled, taking over the situation. He kneeled besides Crane and grabbed him with both his hands, brining him close to his face.

"You can't stop us anymore," Crane laughed. "Soon Gotham will be ours."

They returned to the manor in complete silence. Bruce had called Gordon, explaining the situation before telling Nathalie the police would take over. Nathalie wanted to argue but before she had a chance to Bruce had already disappeared to the Tumbler, waiting for her to join him.

The vehicle burst through the waterfall, entering the cave. Nathalie prepared herself to climb out of it, placing her foot on the seat so she could push herself up, but Bruce remained seated.

"What were you thinking?" he commented. "After all that had happened, you decide to buy a gun?"

Nathalie nodded slowly. "It truly has helped me recover," she began. "It made me feel powerful, like no one could touch me."

"Don't tell me you've been out to Gotham with that."

Nathalie remained silent. She had already prepared herself for this. She knew Bruce was against the use of guns, but she figured this was more about him being worried for her safety than him being angry about her using a gun.

Bruce rubbed his hands together. "How often?"

"A couple of times," Nat replied.

He sighed. "I don't want you out there by yourself, Nathalie. I know you held your own these times but what if something serious happens? I can't always be there for you."

"I know," Nathalie nodded, realizing he was right. Her fighting off criminals was more a way of therapy for her. For one moment she wanted to do something that mattered, she wanted to be someone like Batman. What would have happened if she had walked into a trap? She'd never make it alive, even with her gun and with her training.

"I'm sorry," she said, looking down, before beginning to explain what she just had realized.

ONE WEEK LATER

"Be careful out there," Nathalie said, placing a kiss on his lips, her hands placed on his shoulders . He smiled faintly, returning it.

"Always am," he said. "Are you sure you'll be fine here?"

Nathalie took in a deep breath. "Yeah," she nodded, looking behind her at Alfred who was waiting for her near the elevator. "Just come back so I don't have to go out there looking for you." A playful smiled formed on her face.

"We can't have that," Bruce laughed, giving her one last kiss before making his way over to the Tumbler.

Gordon had cast the batsign in the skies above Gotham, which indicated Batman was needed. Nathalie didn't know what was going to happen, but she knew she couldn't be a part of it. Gotham needed Batman, not her.

She watched Bruce leave the cave, the vehicle roaring as it disappeared in the dark. Slowly she turned around, making her way over to the elevator, preparing herself for a night of watching the news. Before the elevator went up she glanced at the cave, hoping to see her dark knight standing there in one piece, waiting for her.

AN: So the final part in this story has arrived! Sorry for the long wait though, I'm really busy with uni lately. I always wanted this story to be three parts and I know that seems rather short but for the time being I want it to end here. Maybe, once upon a time, I'll write a sequel. So, thank you so much for reading and following this story and please, let me know what you think about it!